I am pretty sure that I should not be the one recommending online applications, but I did have some success editing some photos with Piknik. The process was easy and fast. It was nice also to be able to change the picture size. I liked seeing how the pictures would change as you moved the adjustment arrow. You can not really screw up too badly because you can go back and edit again until the picture is how you want it to be. I liked Piknik and would recommend it to someone looking to edit their photos.
My next experimental jaunt into online applications was Google Documents (GD), which I did not like as much. Maybe it is because I am used to working with Microsoft Word, but GD seemed awkward to me. It does look to have more options, but not enough to make me want to switch. However the Google product I did find to be very interesting was Google Scholar. http://scholar.google.com/
When I used the advanced search and looked for Instructional Design articles with the phrase “rich media” between the years 2007-2009 there were 266 articles to read. When I searched for Robert the Bruce, a medieval king of Scotland, I had 282 articles to read. Wow! What a tool for research! You can select what subject area (chemistry, biology, computer science, social studies, math, the list goes on!) you want the article to relate to. This is a web site worth looking into even if it is not exactly what our assignment was asking for.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
R/D13
In this chapter the thing that struck me was the possibility of Instructional Design advancing to the point of being a personal tutor for each student. When the students can interact with computers with some type of artificial intelligence to help create their own “learning experience” the possibilities will be endless. If this is the case imagine the shift in learning that will happen in our country. Our schools will not be the same. In a way it will almost be like using an ancient or medieval model for schools. Hiring a tutor was the norm then, now though the tutor will be a computer!
The activity I liked the most was reading other peoples responses and seeing some of the great ideas my classmates had to use technology in their classrooms. Another part of the class I liked was the feeling that I was really starting to not be a dilettante with computers, but someone who could take advantage of some of the possibilities they offer us, in the classroom and personally.
The activity I liked the most was reading other peoples responses and seeing some of the great ideas my classmates had to use technology in their classrooms. Another part of the class I liked was the feeling that I was really starting to not be a dilettante with computers, but someone who could take advantage of some of the possibilities they offer us, in the classroom and personally.
R/D12
Chapter 30 did a very nice job of explaining how people learn. Of course we all know that everyone learns differently and that students need to participate in learning in a variety of ways. When I was studying Latin the best way for me to learn the vocabulary was to write the words and definitions out, and say them. I was engaging both the visual and phonetic parts of working memory, and I know that the writing engaged another part of memory too. This is a really exciting part about what we are learning. Students will be engaging that third file of learning by actually help to create what they are learning.
One of the best ideas to apply in this chapter is the use of an advance planner. A planner would be easy to create. This strategy would help the students gain prior knowledge of an event, era, upcoming chapter etc. By using headers and sub headers the material could be organized in a way that could help students write notes, review for a quiz or test, or just help with homework.
Another good idea is to increase the use of visuals. Studies have shown that there is a increase in learning when visuals are used (p 315), and that both still visuals and animation are effective (p316). Using still visuals would be easy, and they could be used for a preview of upcoming material, an in depth look at a topic, reviews, etc. Students could use visuals in their projects. I wonder about where to draw the line on what is too much. I am going to use a gradual approach to using to find what best suits the majority of our students.
One of the best ideas to apply in this chapter is the use of an advance planner. A planner would be easy to create. This strategy would help the students gain prior knowledge of an event, era, upcoming chapter etc. By using headers and sub headers the material could be organized in a way that could help students write notes, review for a quiz or test, or just help with homework.
Another good idea is to increase the use of visuals. Studies have shown that there is a increase in learning when visuals are used (p 315), and that both still visuals and animation are effective (p316). Using still visuals would be easy, and they could be used for a preview of upcoming material, an in depth look at a topic, reviews, etc. Students could use visuals in their projects. I wonder about where to draw the line on what is too much. I am going to use a gradual approach to using to find what best suits the majority of our students.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Screencasting
At this moment I am so frustrated with Camtasia. After trying multiple times for three days to download the thirty day trail offer I have given up, but when I do get the (expletive deleted) downloaded I can see multiple uses. From Udell’s article I can see diagramming plays for our flag football team in the fall and going over different situations in softball in the spring. This would be a new and attention grabbing way to go over different strategies. Our players could use this to broadcast the results of our games. The school would have a news show of our programs and the students would be learning a cool way to use the web.
An idea for a student based project with screencasting is to create a virtual timeline of the Civil Rights Era. Each student would have an event or person (Selma, Montgomery, Martin L King, President Obama, etc.) to create a screencast about. I would make the first screencast (assuming I can get the expletive deleted downloaded) about the coming of slaves to Jamestown in 1619. This would give me a chance to practice making a screencast and give the students something to model theirs after. I always require sources from more than just the web for our projects. This project would not be “window dressing” as the students would be teaching each other about an era of American History that would involve core values, such as equality, research skills, tech skills, and also cover benchmarks of the MME. This is an assignment that will be fun for the students! Also, Google Maps would be a natural with this project.
Now, I am going back to trying to download Camtasia. Did anyone else have a problem? We use Hughes Satellite, maybe that is part of my difficulty.
An idea for a student based project with screencasting is to create a virtual timeline of the Civil Rights Era. Each student would have an event or person (Selma, Montgomery, Martin L King, President Obama, etc.) to create a screencast about. I would make the first screencast (assuming I can get the expletive deleted downloaded) about the coming of slaves to Jamestown in 1619. This would give me a chance to practice making a screencast and give the students something to model theirs after. I always require sources from more than just the web for our projects. This project would not be “window dressing” as the students would be teaching each other about an era of American History that would involve core values, such as equality, research skills, tech skills, and also cover benchmarks of the MME. This is an assignment that will be fun for the students! Also, Google Maps would be a natural with this project.
Now, I am going back to trying to download Camtasia. Did anyone else have a problem? We use Hughes Satellite, maybe that is part of my difficulty.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
R/D11
Many of the Instructional Design (ID) competencies are readily applicable to teaching. Perhaps the toughest one for me is to “update and improve my skills and knowledge in instructional design.” I like to expand my knowledge in history and it seems that I don’t have enough time to do that! Now I have to stay up on ID too, but that is what I am doing now. Fortunately I am finding that I enjoy some aspects of ID and can see that they will be of benefit.
Another competency that is hard for me, but I am working on now is “using technology to enhance training” or in my case teaching. The blogs, html, etc. are all new for me, but I am gaining a very modest level of competency in using them. I know these will bring a boost in interest to my classes, and will help students learn in a way that many students are more attune to than I am since they were born with a computer chip embedded in them! Using this technology will require some planning on my part. What is the best use for some of new tools I will have at my disposal this Year. All of this ties in with the communication aspect of ID. This will be a new way to communicate knowledge to the students.
Instructional Design will help with another competency for teachers, “stimulate and sustain learner motivation.” Students like and need variety in instruction, and they jump at a chance to use computers. New projects generate a lot of enthusiasm, especially projects that use technology. Any advantage a teacher has should be used!
The competency of “analyzing the characteristics of the environment” is critical for teaching at an alternative school. Our students are immature. You have to think about if a particular class is ready for a project, especially a project involving computers. Are they going to stick to the assignment or get on a site that is prohibited. It is very difficult to monitor a class in the computer lab or even just a few students online while you are teaching the rest of the class. However, after adding the pros and cons I find that there is no way that technological innovation should not be used to improve your instruction methods.
Another competency that is hard for me, but I am working on now is “using technology to enhance training” or in my case teaching. The blogs, html, etc. are all new for me, but I am gaining a very modest level of competency in using them. I know these will bring a boost in interest to my classes, and will help students learn in a way that many students are more attune to than I am since they were born with a computer chip embedded in them! Using this technology will require some planning on my part. What is the best use for some of new tools I will have at my disposal this Year. All of this ties in with the communication aspect of ID. This will be a new way to communicate knowledge to the students.
Instructional Design will help with another competency for teachers, “stimulate and sustain learner motivation.” Students like and need variety in instruction, and they jump at a chance to use computers. New projects generate a lot of enthusiasm, especially projects that use technology. Any advantage a teacher has should be used!
The competency of “analyzing the characteristics of the environment” is critical for teaching at an alternative school. Our students are immature. You have to think about if a particular class is ready for a project, especially a project involving computers. Are they going to stick to the assignment or get on a site that is prohibited. It is very difficult to monitor a class in the computer lab or even just a few students online while you are teaching the rest of the class. However, after adding the pros and cons I find that there is no way that technological innovation should not be used to improve your instruction methods.
R/D10
To quickly summarize the different contexts: (1) Business uses Instructional Design (ID) to lower the cost of training and to quickly train employees. (2) P-12 would use ID to completely revamp the educational system. (3) Higher education uses ID to improve teaching methods of professors and for distance learning, like our class. The most important theme these chapters have in common is using technology to improve performance. The differences come in the methods used to create improvement. In general, the more tech-savvy newer members of the faculty will be able to see the benefits of using more technology in the classroom.
Both the business and the higher education models use technology to improve the system that is already in place. For higher education, the emphasis is placed on moving faculty away from only lecturing and toward using technology to enhance their teaching. This, I believe, will take a long time. Almost all the professors I had for both my bachelor's and (more recent) master's degrees were strictly lecturers. It is how they were taught, and how they are comfortable teaching. Even so, just offering the faculty of a university the chance to learn to use some of the new technologies to improve learning will be a beginning.
The biggest difference in the three chapters is the way they want to create improvements. It seems the authors of the P-12 Ch 21 want a radical revision of public schools, while the higher education and business models are using a more evolutionary strategy. Change is inevitable and good, but I really feel a more gradual approach is the best when it comes to improving public schools.
I believe the best application for me as a teacher would be the use of workshops such as those used in higher education, to promote more modern teaching methods. The state should mandate that a class similar to ours be part of an education degree. Established teachers still have to take six credit hours every five years, so the state could require them to take a similar class. This would be the fastest, most efficient way for our schools to enter the 21st century. It would also take the financial burden from the schools, but it would not increase the cost for teachers because they need to take classes anyway. Another way to bring more technology to the classroom is to have a workshop in ID at the beginning of the school year. Every district has at least two days of meetings. One day could be used to increase staff technology skills in regard to teaching. It would be time well spent for the staff and it might lead to some jobs for instructional designers.
Both the business and the higher education models use technology to improve the system that is already in place. For higher education, the emphasis is placed on moving faculty away from only lecturing and toward using technology to enhance their teaching. This, I believe, will take a long time. Almost all the professors I had for both my bachelor's and (more recent) master's degrees were strictly lecturers. It is how they were taught, and how they are comfortable teaching. Even so, just offering the faculty of a university the chance to learn to use some of the new technologies to improve learning will be a beginning.
The biggest difference in the three chapters is the way they want to create improvements. It seems the authors of the P-12 Ch 21 want a radical revision of public schools, while the higher education and business models are using a more evolutionary strategy. Change is inevitable and good, but I really feel a more gradual approach is the best when it comes to improving public schools.
I believe the best application for me as a teacher would be the use of workshops such as those used in higher education, to promote more modern teaching methods. The state should mandate that a class similar to ours be part of an education degree. Established teachers still have to take six credit hours every five years, so the state could require them to take a similar class. This would be the fastest, most efficient way for our schools to enter the 21st century. It would also take the financial burden from the schools, but it would not increase the cost for teachers because they need to take classes anyway. Another way to bring more technology to the classroom is to have a workshop in ID at the beginning of the school year. Every district has at least two days of meetings. One day could be used to increase staff technology skills in regard to teaching. It would be time well spent for the staff and it might lead to some jobs for instructional designers.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Using Google Maps
Towards the end of every school year we have a project I call the Great Adventure. We divide into teams of 3-4 and plan a trip anywhere in the world. For the trip students must show where they are going, how they will get there, any important physical features they will see, major cities, different sites they wish to see (including a description and why they want to see it), and any other items of interest. Pictures from off the web, magazines, or newspapers are used. In the past the maps have been drawn by the one member of the team. Now, we can use Google Maps for this project, and I am betting that the students will love it!
View A Trip to Scotland in a larger map
View A Trip to Scotland in a larger map
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
R/D9
The technological tasks at first were difficult for me. I was basically a beginner on that sort of thing. I could use email, surf the web, do Word, that was about it. The blog, url, html, etc. were all new, intimidating, and frustrating. Now, although still not very experienced, I feel like I am getting better as we go along. Not great just better. At first I was wondering if this class should be a lab class, but after getting help from Sharon on our first two tasks, and then being able to get a couple on my own I began to think I could do this. The class started out being frustrating, but I am more excited now about my ability to do technological tasks and the prospect of using our assignments in my classes.
I can see several assignments for blogs. In history and government students could create the kind of blog that they think a historical figure might have created. Global Issues could have a weekly Volinia News blog complete with the ability to have pictures. I could have a class blog were students and parents could keep up with class news and assignments. Delicious would give me the ability to limit web searches for projects from my blog. Our assignment this week will let me create a new lesson plan for making maps of possible trips or historical events. My newly learned ability to move sites via their html will allow me to really focus on a subject or just to have a short break from the everyday routine of class. Only time and my imagination can limit me on this; and well the principal too.
Although I am not in the masters program I feel that this class is a good introductory class. It is challenging like a graduate class should be, but is not so challenging that someone just needing an experience like this cannot do the work.
I can see several assignments for blogs. In history and government students could create the kind of blog that they think a historical figure might have created. Global Issues could have a weekly Volinia News blog complete with the ability to have pictures. I could have a class blog were students and parents could keep up with class news and assignments. Delicious would give me the ability to limit web searches for projects from my blog. Our assignment this week will let me create a new lesson plan for making maps of possible trips or historical events. My newly learned ability to move sites via their html will allow me to really focus on a subject or just to have a short break from the everyday routine of class. Only time and my imagination can limit me on this; and well the principal too.
Although I am not in the masters program I feel that this class is a good introductory class. It is challenging like a graduate class should be, but is not so challenging that someone just needing an experience like this cannot do the work.
R/D8
What really struck me as I read this chapter is the impractical nature of all the changes endorsed by the authors, Charles Reigeluth and Francis Duffy. The authors believe our school systems are fatally flawed and need systemic change to serve students and their community in the 21st Century. I believe that piecemeal change is really what is needed and practical to improve our schools today. Continuous improvement is our goal, and I am sure that is the goal of every school district in Michigan, that can be done by small adjustments without wholesale changes. Having said that, I do think that if a district is clearly a failing district, then and only then would systemic change be the right approach. You will never be able to get everyone on board for systemic change unless the district is failing.
Could systemic change be doable today in Michigan? No, it is impossible in our current state of affairs. State government is buried in red ink. Policy makers talk about supporting education, but that is all they do. As the authors admit systemic change needs start up money because of all the expenses involved, and school districts will need to carve out “permanent money” to continue the process. The state does not have the money. School budgets are stretched to the limit. There is no extra money for systemic change.
There are elements however, that a school district can use to its benefit to promote positive change. Improvement teams for states, districts, buildings, and departments would be very helpful. These teams could keep their members focused on the improvement goals. Concerning the ecological change system I think a place schools should do more is with their relation to the district’s “external environment.” Schools need to reach out to their community to increase support. As the state cuts back communities have to increase their support of their schools. Policymakers have to recognize that schools need more support to improve, and not just lip service. Parents need to emphasize the importance of education in today’s world to their children and help support their school system. Clearly, schools need to improve and should use any strategy to help them achieve the improvements needed for the world today, but with limited means the piecemeal approach is right for now.
Could systemic change be doable today in Michigan? No, it is impossible in our current state of affairs. State government is buried in red ink. Policy makers talk about supporting education, but that is all they do. As the authors admit systemic change needs start up money because of all the expenses involved, and school districts will need to carve out “permanent money” to continue the process. The state does not have the money. School budgets are stretched to the limit. There is no extra money for systemic change.
There are elements however, that a school district can use to its benefit to promote positive change. Improvement teams for states, districts, buildings, and departments would be very helpful. These teams could keep their members focused on the improvement goals. Concerning the ecological change system I think a place schools should do more is with their relation to the district’s “external environment.” Schools need to reach out to their community to increase support. As the state cuts back communities have to increase their support of their schools. Policymakers have to recognize that schools need more support to improve, and not just lip service. Parents need to emphasize the importance of education in today’s world to their children and help support their school system. Clearly, schools need to improve and should use any strategy to help them achieve the improvements needed for the world today, but with limited means the piecemeal approach is right for now.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
R/D7
One interesting idea in Chapter 18 was the “globalization of training” and an element of “localization” for schools. I started thinking about changing educational material for non-English speaking students. The vast majority of non-English students in Southwest Michigan are Hispanic. Some text books already have Spanish glossaries in the back, but perhaps we could do more to make English easier to understand.
In Spanish questions, the question mark comes at the beginning of the sentence and the question is worded differently. Spanish does not use do or did, but they switch the verb and the noun around. A Spanish formed question reads like this in English; “?Know you that John has a new job.” The use of do or did in questions are confusing to Spanish speakers and putting a question mark at the beginning of a question would alert them that a question is on the way.
Another part of English that confuses Spanish speakers is gender. Spanish has gender sensitive words, making it easy to follow what a word agrees or goes with. This makes it hard for Spanish speakers to follow what the pronoun “it” refers to. To make it easier to understand what “it” is agreeing with we could show in parenthesis what “it” is referring to.
One other aspect of this chapter that is interesting to me is the idea of a “virtual team.” Since I am the only social studies teacher in our school and it is hard to arrange meeting with other social studies teachers from other buildings. A virtual team would let teachers from different schools work together on lesson plans, projects, assessments, or any problem they would wish to tackle.
In Spanish questions, the question mark comes at the beginning of the sentence and the question is worded differently. Spanish does not use do or did, but they switch the verb and the noun around. A Spanish formed question reads like this in English; “?Know you that John has a new job.” The use of do or did in questions are confusing to Spanish speakers and putting a question mark at the beginning of a question would alert them that a question is on the way.
Another part of English that confuses Spanish speakers is gender. Spanish has gender sensitive words, making it easy to follow what a word agrees or goes with. This makes it hard for Spanish speakers to follow what the pronoun “it” refers to. To make it easier to understand what “it” is agreeing with we could show in parenthesis what “it” is referring to.
One other aspect of this chapter that is interesting to me is the idea of a “virtual team.” Since I am the only social studies teacher in our school and it is hard to arrange meeting with other social studies teachers from other buildings. A virtual team would let teachers from different schools work together on lesson plans, projects, assessments, or any problem they would wish to tackle.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
R/D6
I have had a hard time writing about this chapter. I have started and stopped. Deleted and started again. I still do not like what I have written. The author’s (Harold Stolovitch) writing is less than clear. His example about the rocking chair company was confusing. In order to be a “master craftsperson” it will take more than a training program; it will take doing the process over and over again until you are a master. However, in spite of Stolovitch’s obfuscating writing there are some concepts that can help teachers and students buried in this chapter.
Some of the concepts that Harold Stolovitch wrote about that I feel could help both students and teachers are as follow. (1) Human capital: for me to be successful with our students I have to build a relationship with them. All of our students come to Volinia because of a lack of success in their other schools. It is very important for me to let them know that I care about them and their well-being. I have to show them how they can be successful at school. (2) Applying “systematic thinking” to problems of teaching can help me come up with ideas on how to improve my classroom management, improve test scores, create suitable consequences for misbehavior or incentives for doing well, etc. (3) Clear expectations are extremely important for students. Teachers need to communicate clearly so that students know what is expected. Administrators need to communicate effectively so that teachers know what is expected. (4) Efficient procedures are needed for both students and teachers to make the most out of their time. (5) Improve-ment, I feel, is a key concept for everyone in education. Teachers and students want to be better.
I have had a hard time getting the podcasts, but I can speculate on what some of the benefits could be for my students. The benefits for students in Global Issues are an in-depth look at any news story they want to know more about. I can see uses for podcasts in government, history, and geography, too. I am wondering about the use of podcasts as a way for Volinia to get our news out about different events, etc. I will continue to work on the podcasts!
Some of the concepts that Harold Stolovitch wrote about that I feel could help both students and teachers are as follow. (1) Human capital: for me to be successful with our students I have to build a relationship with them. All of our students come to Volinia because of a lack of success in their other schools. It is very important for me to let them know that I care about them and their well-being. I have to show them how they can be successful at school. (2) Applying “systematic thinking” to problems of teaching can help me come up with ideas on how to improve my classroom management, improve test scores, create suitable consequences for misbehavior or incentives for doing well, etc. (3) Clear expectations are extremely important for students. Teachers need to communicate clearly so that students know what is expected. Administrators need to communicate effectively so that teachers know what is expected. (4) Efficient procedures are needed for both students and teachers to make the most out of their time. (5) Improve-ment, I feel, is a key concept for everyone in education. Teachers and students want to be better.
I have had a hard time getting the podcasts, but I can speculate on what some of the benefits could be for my students. The benefits for students in Global Issues are an in-depth look at any news story they want to know more about. I can see uses for podcasts in government, history, and geography, too. I am wondering about the use of podcasts as a way for Volinia to get our news out about different events, etc. I will continue to work on the podcasts!
R/D5
Chapter 3 made me think back over my education, which began in 1955. I do not remember watching movies in school until I was in high school. Through grade school and junior high it was the teacher, books, and the blackboard, just as Reiser said. The most interesting thing any of my teachers did at this time was to read a chapter every Friday from a high- interest book. I remember the book I enjoyed the most was Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss. This may sound terribly old-school and boring, but that was how you learned at that time. I currently use the radio more for my Global Issues class than it was ever used when I was in school. The same goes for television. The reason radio and television never became dominant in education is because they lack interaction with their audience.
A good lecture from a walking, talking instructor is much more engaging than watching a lecture on television. That said, some special events on television can be riveting, such as the inauguration of President Obama. Students have to be really interested or highly motivated to learn from movies or television.
Now, with the technological advancement of computers, and the internet, it finally looks as if education will significantly increase its use of this new media. I reentered education in 2000 and since that time there has been a rapid increase in the use of computers in the Marcellus school system. While it is true that a lot of computer class time is for drill and practice, and improving computer skills, more and more computer time is for research. For all my projects I require sources to be from both the internet and traditional sources such as books and magazines. Students love getting their information online, but groan about using a book or magazine. Maybe if they were using a Kindle it would be different, but that would add another expense when we can least afford to do that. Also, many students do not have the attention span to read a book--at least that is the case with a lot of our students. One way computers really help us as an alternative school is to keep my social studies up to date. All of our books end with Clinton as president!
I agree with Reiser that the increase in using technology in the classroom is because of “their increased interactive capabilities.” Students are able to search and find the information that is most interesting to them. Students love to work with computers and really do some great work with them. Computers help you get out of textbooks, the bane of students, and make class more fun. However, with our limited numbers of computers it is difficult to find ways to use computers on a consistent basis. Another problem is monitoring what web sites are being used when you have a full classroom.
Even with these problems I feel that computer use in education will greatly increase in the coming years, and help to improve our schools.
A good lecture from a walking, talking instructor is much more engaging than watching a lecture on television. That said, some special events on television can be riveting, such as the inauguration of President Obama. Students have to be really interested or highly motivated to learn from movies or television.
Now, with the technological advancement of computers, and the internet, it finally looks as if education will significantly increase its use of this new media. I reentered education in 2000 and since that time there has been a rapid increase in the use of computers in the Marcellus school system. While it is true that a lot of computer class time is for drill and practice, and improving computer skills, more and more computer time is for research. For all my projects I require sources to be from both the internet and traditional sources such as books and magazines. Students love getting their information online, but groan about using a book or magazine. Maybe if they were using a Kindle it would be different, but that would add another expense when we can least afford to do that. Also, many students do not have the attention span to read a book--at least that is the case with a lot of our students. One way computers really help us as an alternative school is to keep my social studies up to date. All of our books end with Clinton as president!
I agree with Reiser that the increase in using technology in the classroom is because of “their increased interactive capabilities.” Students are able to search and find the information that is most interesting to them. Students love to work with computers and really do some great work with them. Computers help you get out of textbooks, the bane of students, and make class more fun. However, with our limited numbers of computers it is difficult to find ways to use computers on a consistent basis. Another problem is monitoring what web sites are being used when you have a full classroom.
Even with these problems I feel that computer use in education will greatly increase in the coming years, and help to improve our schools.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
IAN'S WEEKEND
The previous picture was Ian before the Big Catch! Ian stayed overnight and we all had fun!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
R/D4
Incorporating a site like Flickr.com might not be possible because of the filters we have on our computers at school, but if we can use Flickr there are all kinds of interesting possibilities. Students could lookup photos from the Great Depression and answer questions such as: (1)What kind of clothing are they wearing? (2)What type of life do you think they were living? (3)What do like about this photo? (4)What can you infer from this photo?
Another interesting project would be to assign a current event and have the student create a picture stream with captions to summarize what is taking place, or a weekly picture stream to summarize the week’s news. In geography this would offer an interesting way to do country projects, landforms, climate zones, etc. For government the students could create a photo brochure on one of the branches of government, or possibly the latest scandal!
If, for some reason, we cannot get the computers set up for students to use Flickr, I could put together photo streams on any given subject, save them to a hard drive, and show them that way to a class. There would be more than one benefit to learning a service like Flickr: (1) This would help make learning fun. (2) Picture streaming would be a break from the routine of reading, worksheet, quizzes, etc. (3) Students would have a chance to use their creativity. (4) A teacher could reinforce an important lesson. The list could go on! The biggest concern would be the danger of students getting on forbidden web sites.
The biggest difference between developing an Instructional Design process and the process of developing my lesson plans is numbers. I have six different classes to prepare for everyday. We are a small school and I am the Social Studies department. An Instructional Design model takes a team of people to complete, with each person having a specific job. I do everything. The process of developing your lesson plans is similar to developing an Instructional Design Model. You try to develop lessons that have a variety of ways to learn. After implementing your lesson plans you look at your results. Did the students learn what they needed to? If not, what can you change to make your lesson better next time? A teacher is always analyzing and redesigning lesson plans to make them better. What worked a few years ago might not be the best strategy now!
Another interesting project would be to assign a current event and have the student create a picture stream with captions to summarize what is taking place, or a weekly picture stream to summarize the week’s news. In geography this would offer an interesting way to do country projects, landforms, climate zones, etc. For government the students could create a photo brochure on one of the branches of government, or possibly the latest scandal!
If, for some reason, we cannot get the computers set up for students to use Flickr, I could put together photo streams on any given subject, save them to a hard drive, and show them that way to a class. There would be more than one benefit to learning a service like Flickr: (1) This would help make learning fun. (2) Picture streaming would be a break from the routine of reading, worksheet, quizzes, etc. (3) Students would have a chance to use their creativity. (4) A teacher could reinforce an important lesson. The list could go on! The biggest concern would be the danger of students getting on forbidden web sites.
The biggest difference between developing an Instructional Design process and the process of developing my lesson plans is numbers. I have six different classes to prepare for everyday. We are a small school and I am the Social Studies department. An Instructional Design model takes a team of people to complete, with each person having a specific job. I do everything. The process of developing your lesson plans is similar to developing an Instructional Design Model. You try to develop lessons that have a variety of ways to learn. After implementing your lesson plans you look at your results. Did the students learn what they needed to? If not, what can you change to make your lesson better next time? A teacher is always analyzing and redesigning lesson plans to make them better. What worked a few years ago might not be the best strategy now!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
R/D3
What are the problems that social bookmarking can help to solve for teachers? Social bookmarking could solve the problem of students wandering around on the internet. A teacher could list the approved sites for students. Sites would be easy to find. I can see where that would speed up projects and keep students on track with their assignments. Sharing with friends would be fun, similar to Facebook, but something you design yourself. I am going to share photos with the Volinia Softball team via my blog!
For students social bookmarking would make assignments and projects easier. All the sites would be in one place. The directions could be there also! Tech-savvy parents would find bookmarking helpful for helping their children keep up with their school work.
For administrators and teachers I can imagine a site to share information concerning students’ behavior. Who is not getting along with whom that day? Is a student acting strange? A heads up from the principal? etc. There are really a tremendous number of ways that a social bookmarking site could be used to facilitate the sharing of information by everyone.
My thoughts about Instructional Design were nonexistent before I took this class. I never knew that there was a program of this nature.
The definitions helped me get a small grip on the nature of Instructional Design. The surprise for me was the structure and scholarship behind Instructional Design. Is anything new to me? Yes! The whole thing is new. As far as something being left out is concerned, I know so little about this I really cannot say. I was just looking for a way to improve my teaching, and to incorporate some much-needed technology into my classroom. This class will certainly give me the opportunity to do both this fall.
For students social bookmarking would make assignments and projects easier. All the sites would be in one place. The directions could be there also! Tech-savvy parents would find bookmarking helpful for helping their children keep up with their school work.
For administrators and teachers I can imagine a site to share information concerning students’ behavior. Who is not getting along with whom that day? Is a student acting strange? A heads up from the principal? etc. There are really a tremendous number of ways that a social bookmarking site could be used to facilitate the sharing of information by everyone.
My thoughts about Instructional Design were nonexistent before I took this class. I never knew that there was a program of this nature.
The definitions helped me get a small grip on the nature of Instructional Design. The surprise for me was the structure and scholarship behind Instructional Design. Is anything new to me? Yes! The whole thing is new. As far as something being left out is concerned, I know so little about this I really cannot say. I was just looking for a way to improve my teaching, and to incorporate some much-needed technology into my classroom. This class will certainly give me the opportunity to do both this fall.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
R/D2
My very first impression with both the blog and RRS reader was, “holy crap how am I going to do this?” I struggled with my blog for several days wondering why it would not come up when I put the address in and then I realized I actually had two different addresses. It looked like more of the same with the RSS, but then with some help from Sharon Peterson it was easy! I was making it a lot harder than it actually was, so my second impression is that this computer stuff is not as hard as I thought it was, so lets go!
In the classroom I can see different uses for a blog and a RSS feed right away. In my Global Issues class a blog could be used to write about the news we are following and with a RSS feed a student could zero in on a certain topic for a special report. It would also be a good way for students to communicate with other students from different schools and even other countries. What a great way to broaden their horizons. I can also see some other uses such having students create what they think a blog might look like for a historical figure.
Setting up a blog and a RSS feed are great examples in Dale’s Cone of Experience of Direct Purposeful Experiences where students learn through a hands on experience. After set up, the blog and RSS would be at the upper levels of the cone. With words, pictures or even a U-Tube feed blogs and RSS feeds are at the third level or the symbolic level of the Cone. Blogs and RSS feeds offer an exciting new way to teach and learn making class more interesting for everyone.
In the classroom I can see different uses for a blog and a RSS feed right away. In my Global Issues class a blog could be used to write about the news we are following and with a RSS feed a student could zero in on a certain topic for a special report. It would also be a good way for students to communicate with other students from different schools and even other countries. What a great way to broaden their horizons. I can also see some other uses such having students create what they think a blog might look like for a historical figure.
Setting up a blog and a RSS feed are great examples in Dale’s Cone of Experience of Direct Purposeful Experiences where students learn through a hands on experience. After set up, the blog and RSS would be at the upper levels of the cone. With words, pictures or even a U-Tube feed blogs and RSS feeds are at the third level or the symbolic level of the Cone. Blogs and RSS feeds offer an exciting new way to teach and learn making class more interesting for everyone.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
trying yet Again on R/D1--written 6-28-09
Postman's view of the job of education in his article "Luddites, Learning, and Life" is a "Quantum" leap from the view of the Reigeluth-Joseph article "Beyond Technology Integration." Postman believes that education is fine as it is and primarily is for the socialization of students, while Reigeluth and Joseph see technology as the savior of our school systems. My view of education lies between these extreme opinions.
Postman states that the main function of schools is to show students "how to behave in groups." That is certainly true of an alternative school like Volinia Outcomes, where I teach. Many of the parents of our students have very weak parenting skills; I often hear, "My mom told me I don't have to do what you tell me to do. I can walk out of this school any time!!" (What happens when this child leaves school, gets a job, and tells the boss that?!) To help out students become ready for life after school, we have a Citizenship and Participation Rubric that the students are graded on every day in each class. The rubric covers such topics as: come prepared to class; do quality work; and treat the school, fellow students, and teachers with respect.
Our students must take the Michigan Merit Exam just like those in every public school in Michigan. For this and other rather specific reasons having to do with my own students, I do not agree with Postman when he says imparting information "has always been way down the list" of what a school does.
Reigeluth contends that our current schools are just a giant sorting box that holds most students back and sends a few of the best to college. He maintains that each student’s education could be customized by using technology to let students learn at their own pace. While I feel this is a worthy goal, with our limited budget and standardized testing it would be difficult, if not impossible, to implement such a system now. What we can do as teachers is use technology as much as possible when we plan our lessons. Students consider books to be old-school and boring, so the more interesting we can make our classes for them, the more they will be engaged.
There are many benefits to bringing more technology into the classroom, among them: (1) students like technology; (2) vast amounts of information can be found on just about any subject; (3) using technology helps students get ready for the work world; (4) technology-based lessons can be creatively constructed to hold student interest. There are drawbacks, including: (1) uncertainty about the found information being correct; (2) the high cost of technology; (3) the lack of experience some teachers have in using technology.
I do not see the changes Reigeluth advocates happening for many years, but I feel that we are taking our first steps in that direction. As for Postman, I think teaching how to get along with people and be a good citizen is certainly important, but not any more important than imparting knowledge.
Postman states that the main function of schools is to show students "how to behave in groups." That is certainly true of an alternative school like Volinia Outcomes, where I teach. Many of the parents of our students have very weak parenting skills; I often hear, "My mom told me I don't have to do what you tell me to do. I can walk out of this school any time!!" (What happens when this child leaves school, gets a job, and tells the boss that?!) To help out students become ready for life after school, we have a Citizenship and Participation Rubric that the students are graded on every day in each class. The rubric covers such topics as: come prepared to class; do quality work; and treat the school, fellow students, and teachers with respect.
Our students must take the Michigan Merit Exam just like those in every public school in Michigan. For this and other rather specific reasons having to do with my own students, I do not agree with Postman when he says imparting information "has always been way down the list" of what a school does.
Reigeluth contends that our current schools are just a giant sorting box that holds most students back and sends a few of the best to college. He maintains that each student’s education could be customized by using technology to let students learn at their own pace. While I feel this is a worthy goal, with our limited budget and standardized testing it would be difficult, if not impossible, to implement such a system now. What we can do as teachers is use technology as much as possible when we plan our lessons. Students consider books to be old-school and boring, so the more interesting we can make our classes for them, the more they will be engaged.
There are many benefits to bringing more technology into the classroom, among them: (1) students like technology; (2) vast amounts of information can be found on just about any subject; (3) using technology helps students get ready for the work world; (4) technology-based lessons can be creatively constructed to hold student interest. There are drawbacks, including: (1) uncertainty about the found information being correct; (2) the high cost of technology; (3) the lack of experience some teachers have in using technology.
I do not see the changes Reigeluth advocates happening for many years, but I feel that we are taking our first steps in that direction. As for Postman, I think teaching how to get along with people and be a good citizen is certainly important, but not any more important than imparting knowledge.
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